Court Reporters Job Description, Duties & Salary

Experience, Skills, and Personality Traits

Experience as an intern at a law firm, in the court reporting department of a courthouse, or at a court reporting firm is highly recommended.

Because part of a court reporter's work is done within the confines of a courtroom, being able to work under pressure is a must. Court reporters need to be able to meet deadlines with accuracy. To succeed as a court reporter, you must have strong concentration skills, excellent listening skills, good writing and editing skills, and be very detail oriented.

Court reporters must be familiar with a wide range of medical and legal terms and must be assertive enough to ask for clarification if a term or phrase goes by without the reporter understanding it. Court reporters must be as unbiased as possible and accurately record what is said, not what they believe to be true. Patience and perfectionism are vital characteristics, as is the ability to work closely with judges and other court officials.

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